Structured illumination for contrast enhancement in overlay metrology

ABSTRACT

Contrast enhancement in a metrology tool may include generating a beam of illumination, directing a portion of the generated beam onto a surface of a spatial light modulator (SLM), directing at least a portion of the generated beam incident on the surface of the SLM through an aperture of an aperture stop and onto one or more target structures of one or more samples, and generating a selected illumination pupil function of the illumination transmitted through the aperture utilizing the SLM in order to establish a contrast level of one or more field images of the one or more target structures above a selected contrast threshold, and performing one or more metrology measurements on the one or more target structures utilizing the selected illumination pupil function.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to and claims the benefit of theearliest available effective filing date(s) from the following listedapplication(s) (the “Related Applications”) (e.g., claims earliestavailable priority dates for other than provisional patent applicationsor claims benefits under 35 USC § 119(e) for provisional patentapplications, for any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent,etc. applications of the Related Application(s)).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the presentapplication constitutes a continuation patent application of UnitedStates Non-Provisional Patent Application entitled STRUCTUREDILLUMINATION FOR CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT IN OVERLAY METROLOGY, naming JoelSeligson, Noam Sapiens and Daniel Kandel, as inventors, filed Jul. 8,2015, application Ser. No. 14/794,294, which U.S. States Non-ProvisionalPatent Application entitled STRUCTURED ILLUMINATION FOR CONTRASTENHANCEMENT IN OVERLAY METROLOGY, naming Joel Seligson, Noam Sapiens andDaniel Kandel, as inventors, filed Mar. 2, 2012, application Ser. No.13/394,064, which constitutes a national stage of PCT/US2012/24320,filed Feb. 8, 2012, entitled STRUCTURED ILLUMINATION FOR CONTRASTENHANCEMENT IN OVERLAY METROLOGY, naming Joel Seligson, Noam Sapiens,and Daniel Kandel as inventors, which claims priority to United StatesProvisional Patent Application entitled STRUCTURED ILLUMINATION FORCONTRAST ENHANCEMENT IN OVERLAY METROLOGY, naming Joel Seligson, NoamSapiens and Daniel Kandel, as inventors, filed Feb. 10, 2011,Application Ser. No. 61/441,540, and U.S. Provisional Patent Applicationentitled STRUCTURED ILLUMINATION FOR CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT IN OVERLAYMETROLOGY, naming Joel Seligson, Noam Sapiens and Daniel Kandel asinventors, filed Feb. 10, 2011, Application Ser. No. 61/441,553. U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/394,064; PCT PatentApplication No. PCT/US2012/24320; U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/441,540; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/441,553 are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to overlay metrology, and moreparticularly to a system for enhancing target contrast in an overlaymetrology system.

BACKGROUND

In a variety of manufacturing and production settings, there is a needto control alignment between various layers or within particular layersof a given sample. For example, in the context of semiconductorprocessing, semiconductor-based devices may be produced by fabricating aseries of layers on a substrate, some or all of the layers includingvarious structures. The relative position of these structures bothwithin a single layer and with respect to structures in other layers iscritical to the performance of the devices. The misalignment betweenvarious structures is known as overlay error.

Conventional overlay metrology systems, such as imaging or scatterometrybased systems, are typically based on bright field illuminationmicroscopy in which a dedicated metrology target, containing spatialinformation from at least two separate process steps is imaged onto atwo dimensional sensor array. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional overlaymetrology system 100. The system 100 may include an illumination source102 (e.g., broadband or narrowband source), a set of illumination optics108, a beam splitter 104 configured to direct a light beam 112 to anobjective 114, which in turn focuses the light onto one or more targets117 of the wafer 116 disposed on a sample stage 118. The light is thenscattered from a metrology target 117 of the wafer 116 and istransmitted along the imaging path 110 onto an imaging plane of thedetector 106. Some metrology systems consist of a two beam (e.g.,illumination path and reference path) interferometric configuration.Conventional two-beam metrology systems include a set of referenceoptics 120, which include, but are not limited to, a reference mirror, areference objective, and a shutter configured to selectively block thereference path 122. In a general sense, a two-beam interference opticalsystem may be configured as a Linnik interferometer. Linnikinterferometry is described generally in U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,110, issuedon Apr. 4, 1989, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,349, issued on Jan. 9, 2001,which are incorporated herein by reference.

The measurement of overlay error between successive patterned layers ona wafer is one of the most critical process control techniques used inthe manufacturing of integrated circuits and devices. Overlay accuracygenerally pertains to the determination of how accurately a firstpatterned layer aligns with respect to a second patterned layer disposedabove or below it and to the determination of how accurately a firstpattern aligns with respect to a second pattern disposed on the samelayer. Presently, overlay measurements are performed via test patternsthat are printed together with layers of the wafer. The images of thesetest patterns are captured via an imaging tool and an analysis algorithmis used to calculate (e.g., calculated using a computing system 124coupled to an output of the detector 106) the relative displacement ofthe patterns from the captured images. Such overlay metrology targets(or ‘marks’) generally comprise features formed in two layers, thefeatures configured to enable measurement of spatial displacementbetween features of the layers (i.e., the overlay or displacementbetween layers).

Overlay measurement precision, however, is limited by the level ofachievable contrast in a given metrology system. Contrast in an opticalmetrology system is generally constrained by the peak to valleydifference in the image projection of the lowest contrast targetfeature. Further, metrology accuracy and tool induced shift (TIS)performance is limited by contrast, also generally constrained by thepeak to valley difference in the image projection of the lowest contrasttarget feature. In many metrology target architectures, a contrastreversal of an edge or periodic feature may occur when illuminated fromdifferent angles of incidence (i.e., illuminated from differentlocations in the illumination pupil). When a target is simultaneouslyilluminated from multiple angles of incidence the effect of contrastreversal may act to reduce or even eliminate the observed contrastentirely when light from multiple angles of incidence are integrated inthe image plane.

Conventional optical metrology systems control contrast utilizing fixedapertures and the lateral movements of fixed apertures (e.g., usingpiezoelectric control). The conventional systems are limited, in part,because of their binary nature (i.e., ON or OFF). Although existingtargets and target measurement systems are suitable for manyimplementation contexts, it is contemplated herein that manyimprovements may be made. The invention described herein disclosesmethods and apparatuses which overcome the disadvantages of the priorart.

SUMMARY

An apparatus suitable for contrast enhancement in a metrology tool isdisclosed. In one aspect, the apparatus suitable for contrastenhancement in a metrology tool may include, but is not limited to, anillumination source; a spatial light modulator (SLM); a beam splitterconfigured to direct a portion of light emanating from the illuminationsource along an illumination path to a surface of the spatial lightmodulator (SLM); an aperture stop disposed substantially at a pupilplane of the illumination path, the aperture stop having an apertureconfigured to transmit at least a portion of light directed from thesurface of the SLM to a surface of one or more specimens; and ametrology tool configured to measure one or more characteristics of oneor more metrology target structures of the one or more specimens, themetrology tool comprising: an entrance pupil configured to receiveillumination directed from the surface of the SLM and transmittedthrough the aperture of the aperture stop; a beam splitter configured toreceive illumination received through the entrance pupil of themetrology tool, the beam splitter further configured to direct at leasta portion of the illumination passed through the entrance pupil to theone or more samples; an objective lens configured to focus the at leasta portion of the illumination onto one or more target structures of theone or more samples; and a detector configured to collect a portion ofillumination scattered from the one or more target structures of the oneor more samples, wherein the SLM is configured to control a contrastlevel of the metrology tool by controlling an illumination pupilfunction of the illumination transmitted through the aperture, theillumination pupil function controlled by controlling a profile ofillumination impinging on the surface of the SLM from the illuminationsource.

In another aspect, the apparatus suitable for contrast enhancement in ametrology tool may include, but is not limited to, a laser light sourceconfigured to generate one or more laser beams; an integration rodoptically coupled to an output of the laser source; a micro mirror array(MMA) chip; a beam splitter configured to direct a portion of lightemanating from the integration rod along an optical path toward asurface of the MMA chip; a set of optical relay optics configured toreceive the directed portion of light from the beam splitter and relaythe portion of light to the MMA chip; a metrology tool configured tomeasure one or more characteristics of one or more metrology targetstructures of one or more samples, the metrology tool comprising: anentrance pupil configured to receive illumination directed from thesurface of the MMA chip; a beam splitter configured to receiveillumination received through the entrance pupil of the metrology tool,the beam splitter further configured to direct at least a portion of theillumination passed through the entrance pupil to the one or moresamples; an objective lens configured to focus the at least a portion ofthe illumination onto one or more target structures of the one or moresamples; and a detector configured to collect a portion of illuminationscattered from the one or more target structures of the one or moresamples, a removable lens positioned along an imaging path of themetrology tool and configured to alternate the detector between imagingthe one or more samples and a pupil of the objective, the MMA chip beingimaged to the pupil of the objective, wherein the MMA chip is configuredto control a contrast level of the metrology tool by controlling aprofile of illumination impinging on the surface of the MMA chip fromthe laser source.

A method for contrast enhancement in a metrology tool is disclosed. Inone aspect, the method for contrast enhancement in a metrology tool mayinclude, but is not limited to, generating a beam of illumination;directing a portion of the generated beam onto a surface of a spatiallight modulator (SLM); directing at least a portion of the generatedbeam incident on the surface of the SLM through an aperture of anaperture stop and onto one or more target structures of one or moresamples; generating a selected illumination pupil function of theillumination transmitted through the aperture utilizing the SLM in orderto establish a contrast level of one or more field images of the one ormore target structures above a selected contrast threshold; andperforming one or more metrology measurements on the one or more targetstructures utilizing the selected illumination pupil function.

A method for contrast enhancement in a metrology tool is disclosed. Inone aspect, the method for contrast enhancement in a metrology tool mayinclude, but is not limited to, generating a beam of illumination;directing a portion of the generated beam onto a surface of a spatiallight modulator; directing at least a portion of the generated beamincident on the surface of the spatial light modulator through anaperture of an aperture stop and onto one or more target structures ofone or more samples; and acquiring a plurality of field images of theone or more target structures of one or more samples utilizing adetector of a metrology tool, each field image being acquired at adifferent illumination pupil function, wherein each of the differentillumination pupil functions is achieved utilizing the spatial lightmodulator; calculating a plurality of contrast levels by determining acontrast level for each of the plurality of field images of the one ormore target structures; identifying a measurement illumination pupilfunction, wherein the measurement illumination pupil functioncorresponds to the largest of the plurality of contrast levels; andperforming one or more metrology measurements utilizing the identifiedmeasurement illumination pupil function.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not necessarily restrictive of the invention as claimed. Theaccompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a partof the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the general description, serve to explain the principlesof the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The numerous advantages of the disclosure may be better understood bythose skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying figures inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional overlay metrologymeasurement system.

FIG. 2A is a schematic view of a system suitable for contrastenhancement in a metrology tool, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2B is a schematic view of a metrology tool of a system suitable forcontrast enhancement in a metrology tool, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2C is a schematic view of a system suitable for contrastenhancement in a metrology tool, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3A is a conceptual view of a field image of an overlay target and acorresponding illumination pupil image, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a conceptual view of a field image of an overlay target and acorresponding illumination pupil image, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3C is a conceptual view of a field image of an overlay target and acorresponding illumination pupil image, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a system suitable for contrast enhancementin a metrology tool, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram of a method for contrast enhancement ina metrology tool, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram of a method for contrast enhancement ina metrology tool, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the subject matter disclosed,which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Referring generally to FIGS. 2A through 4, the systems 200 and 400suitable for providing contrast enhancement of an overlay metrologytarget measured with a metrology tool are described in accordance withthe present invention. One limitation associated with state of the artoverlay metrology targets includes the potential for lack of informationcontent (i.e., contrast level) associated with the small measurementstructures of the targets. The systems 200 and 400 are directed atproviding enhanced contrast levels to counteract the presence of lowcontrast in one or more target structures. In a general sense, contrastin a target image is a strong function of the illumination pupilstructure of the light utilized to analyze the given target (e.g., BiBtarget or AIM target). Systems 200 and 400 are directed at theutilization of structured illumination controlled by a spatial lightmodulator positioned within the illumination path of an implementingmetrology tool in order to enhance the contrast level associated withone or more measurement structures of one or more overlay targets of oneor more wafer samples.

It is noted herein that throughout the present disclosure the terms“wafer” and “samples” are used interchangeably. As used throughout thepresent disclosure, the terms “wafer” and “sample” generally refer to asubstrate formed of a semiconductor or non-semiconductor material. Forexample, a semiconductor or non-semiconductor material may include, butis not limited to, monocrystalline silicon, gallium arsenide, and indiumphosphide. A wafer may include one or more layers. For instance, suchlayers may include, but are not limited to, a resist, a dielectricmaterial, a conductive material, and a semiconductive material. Manydifferent types of such layers are known in the art, and the term waferas used herein is intended to encompass a wafer on which all types ofsuch layers may be formed. A typical semiconductor process includeswafer processing by lot. As used herein a “lot” is a group of wafers(e.g., group of 25 wafers) which are processed together. Each wafer inthe lot is comprised of many exposure fields from the lithographyprocessing tools (e.g., steppers, scanners, etc.). Within each field mayexist multiple dies. A die is the functional unit which eventuallybecomes a single chip. On product wafers, overlay metrology targets aretypically placed in the scribeline area (for example, in the 4 cornersof the field). This is a region that is typically free of circuitryaround the perimeter of the exposure field (and outside the die). Insome instances, overlay targets are placed in the streets, which areregions between the die but not at the perimeter of the field. It isfairly rare for overlay targets to be placed on product wafers withinthe prime die areas, as this area is critically needed for circuitry.

One or more layers formed on a wafer may be patterned or unpatterned.For example, a wafer may include a plurality of dies, each havingrepeatable patterned features. Formation and processing of such layersof material may ultimately result in completed devices. Many differenttypes of devices may be formed on a wafer, and the term wafer as usedherein is intended to encompass a wafer on which any type of deviceknown in the art is being fabricated.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A through 2B, the system 200 suitable forproviding contrast enhancement of an overlay metrology measured with anmetrology tool is described in accordance with the present invention.The system 200 suitable for contrast enhancement of an overlay metrologytarget may include an illumination source 202, a beam splitter 204, aspatial light modulator (SLM) 206, an aperture stop 218 having anaperture 219, and an overlay metrology tool 224 configured to measureone or more metrology characteristics (e.g., overlay error) of one ormore overlay targets 229 of the one or more wafers 230 disposed on asample stage 232. In a further aspect, the system 200 may include afirst Fourier lens 216 and a second Fourier lens 220.

In one aspect of the invention, the SLM 206 is configured to control acontrast level of the metrology tool 224. In this regard, the SLM 206 ofthe system 200 controls the contrast of one or more field imagesobtained using the metrology tool 224 by controlling the illuminationpupil function of the illumination passing through the aperture 219 ofthe system 200. It is noted herein that the introduction of a SLM 206into the illumination path 210 of a metrology system provides for thefull spatial control of the illumination pupil structure of theillumination, thereby allowing the system 200 to control the contrastlevel of the lowest contrast feature of an examined metrology target 229of the one or more wafers 230. In this regard, the SLM 206 of the system200 may act to control the illumination pupil function (and therebytarget contrast) by controlling the profile of illumination impinging onthe surface of the SLM from the illumination source 202. For example, asshown in FIG. 2A, the SLM 206 may be configured to selectably produce afirst illumination configuration 212 and a second illuminationconfiguration 214.

In one embodiment, the SLM 206 of the present invention may include, butis not limited to, a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based SLMdevice. For example, the SLM 206 may include a diffraction-based SLM,such as, but not limited, to a micro mirror array (MMA) chip, asdiscussed further herein. By way of another example, the SLM 206 mayinclude a reflection-based SLM. In another embodiment, the SLM 206 ofthe present invention includes a liquid crystal based SLM.

Referring now to FIG. 3A through 3C, a series of illumination pupilimages (e.g., 304 a, 304 b, and 304 c) and their corresponding fieldimages (e.g., 302 a, 302 b, and 302 c) are illustrated. It is notedherein that the “white portion” of the illumination pupil imagescorresponds to the angles of illumination. It is further recognizedherein that illumination incident on a target 229 having a specificrange of incidence angles may generate a field image having an edgefunction that increases at the traversal from an inner edge outward,while a different range of incidence angles may generate a field imagehaving an edge function that decreases at the traversal from an inneredge outwards. The combination of these two configurations may create animage having increased signal strength, but with diminished contrast, asillustrated in FIG. 3C, which in turn may negatively impact metrologyperformance.

For the specific set of conditions associated with the acquisition offield images of the targets 302 a, 302 b, and 302 c, Applicants havefound that an annular illumination field 304 a produced the highestcontrast field image, as illustrated in FIG. 3A. It is noted herein thatthe ultimate preferred illumination field may depend on a variety offactors. These factors include, but are not limited to, specificfeatures, topography, and stack parameters. As such, the illuminationpupil fields (e.g., 304 a, 304 b, and 304 c) and their correspondingfield images (e.g., 302 a, 302 b, and 302 c) should not be interpretedas limitations on the present invention, but merely illustrative innature.

It is noted that the SLM 206 may achieve multiple illumination pupilfunctions, such as those depicted in FIGS. 3A-3C, by adjusting theillumination profile of the illumination impinging on the surface of theSLM 206 from the illumination source 202. This capability allows thesystem 200 (or system 400 described further herein) to be trained bymonitoring contrast of one or more field images of one or more overlaytargets 229 as a function of illumination pupil image. Once an optimizedor nearly optimized illumination pupil function has been achieved thesystem 200 (via user selection or via computing system 242 control) mayperform overlay metrology measurements using the optimized illuminationpupil function. The training and measurement processes associated withoptimizing the contrast of the target images obtained using the system200 (or system 400) are discussed in greater detail further herein.

The illumination source 202 of the system 200 may include anyillumination source known in the art. In one embodiment, theillumination source 202 may include a narrowband light source. It shouldbe recognized that any known narrowband light source is suitable forimplementation in the present invention. For example, in a preferredembodiment, the illumination source 202 may include, but is not limitedto, one or more laser light sources. For instance, the illuminationsource 202 may include, but is not limited to, a diode-pumped solidstate (DPSS) laser (e.g., 532 nm DPSS Nd: YAG CW laser). In oneembodiment, the illumination source 202 may include a broadband lightsource (e.g., white light source). For example, the illumination source202 may include, but is not limited to, a halogen light source (HLS).For instance, the halogen light source may include, but is not limitedto, a tungsten based halogen lamp. In another example, the illuminationsource 202 may include a Xenon arc lamp. It is recognized herein thatwhen implementing a broadband source a reflection-based SLM may beutilized in conjunction with a broadband source. In another instance, itis recognized that the spectrum of the output of a given broadbandsource may be narrowed. For example, the output of a broadband sourcemay be narrowed to approximately 10 nm. Those skilled in the art shouldrecognize that there exist a variety of settings wherein a broadbandsource may be utilizing in the context of the present invention. Assuch, the description provided above should not be interpreted aslimiting but merely as an illustration.

In another aspect of the invention, the beam splitter 204 is configuredto direct a portion of light emanating from the illumination source 202toward the surface of the SLM 206. In this regard, the beam splitter 204may split the light beam emanating from an illumination source 202 intotwo beams such that at least one of the beams is directed toward thesurface of the SLM 206. The beam splitter 204 is further configured toallow for the transmission of illumination emanating from the surface ofthe SLM 206 toward the one or more wafers 230 via the aperture 219. Itis contemplated herein that any beam splitting technology known in theart is suitable for implementation in the present invention.

In another aspect of the invention, the aperture stop 218 is disposed ata pupil plane of the illumination path 212. In this manner, the aperturestop 218 is arranged such that the aperture 219 of the aperture stop 218is positioned to transmit a portion of the light directed from thesurface of the SLM 206 and through the beam splitter 204 to a surface ofthe one or more wafers 230.

In another aspect of the present invention, the first Fourier lens 216may be positioned between the SLM 206 and the aperture 219, while asecond Fourier lens 220 may be positioned between the aperture 219 andan entrance pupil 222 of the metrology optics 226 (e.g., objective lens228, imaging optics 238, and the like) of the metrology tool 224. In afurther embodiment, the first Fourier lens 216 may be configured toperform a Fourier transform on illumination 212 received from the SLM.Further, the second Fourier lens 220 may perform an inverse Fouriertransform on illumination passed through the aperture 219. In thisregard, the aperture 219 of aperture stop 218 may be configured as aFourier aperture. The second Fourier lens 220 may further be configuredto direct illumination 221 toward the entrance pupil 222 of themetrology optics 226 of the metrology tool 224.

In one aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2B, themetrology tool 224 of the system 200 may include an entrance pupil 222,a set of metrology optics 226, and a detector 240. In a further aspect,the entrance pupil 222 of the metrology tool 224 is configured toreceive illumination directed from the SLM 206 and passed through theaperture 219. In this manner, the entrance pupil 222 acts as an entrancepupil to the metrology optics 226 (e.g., objective 228, imaging optics238, beam splitter 234 and the like) of the metrology tool 224.

In another aspect, the metrology optics 226 of the metrology tool 224may include an objective lens 228. The objective lens 228 may aid indirecting light along the object path of the metrology tool 224 to thesurface of the wafer 230 disposed on the sample stage 232. For example,the beam splitter 234 may direct a portion of the light beam 221entering the metrology optics 226 via the entrance pupil 222 along theobject path. Following the splitting process by the beam splitter 234,the objective lens 228 may focus light from the object path onto one ormore overlay targets 229 of the wafer 230. In a general sense, anyobjective lens known in the art may be suitable for implementation asthe objective lens 228 of the metrology tool 224 of the presentinvention.

Further, a portion of the light impinging on the surface of the wafer230 may be scattered by the one or more overlay targets 229 of the wafer230 and directed along the optical axis 236 via the objective 228, thebeam splitter 234, and imaging optics 238 toward the detector 240. Itshould be further recognized that intermediate optics devices such asintermediate lenses, additional beam splitters (e.g., a beam splitterconfigured to split off a portion of light to a focusing system), andadditional imaging lenses may be placed between the objective 228 andthe imaging plane of the detector 240.

In another aspect, the detector 240 of the metrology tool 224 may bedisposed along an optical axis of the metrology tool 224, the opticalaxis being at least substantially arranged perpendicular to the surfaceof the wafer 230. In this regard, the detector 240 may be arranged tocollect imagery data from the surface of the wafer 230. For example, ina general sense, after scattering from at least the one or more targets229 of the wafer 230, light may travel along the optical axis to theimage plane of the detector 240 via the objective 228, the beam splitter234 and the imaging lens 238. It is recognized that any detector systemknown in the art is suitable for implementation in the presentinvention. For example, the detector 240 may include a charge coupleddevice (CCD) based camera system. By way of another example, thedetector 240 may include a time delay integration (TDI)-CCD based camerasystem.

While the above description describes the detector 240 as being locatedalong an optical axis oriented perpendicular to the surface of the wafer230, this characteristic should not be interpreted as a requirement. Itis contemplated herein that the detector 240 may be situated along anadditional optical axis of the system 200. For example, in a generalsense, one or more additional beam splitters may be utilized to divert aportion of light reflected from the surface of the wafer 230 andtraveling along the object path onto an additional optical axis. Thedetector 240 may be arranged such that light traveling along theadditional optical axis impinges the image plane of the detector 240.

It is contemplated herein that the systems 200 and 400 of the presentinvention may consist (but are not required to consist) of adapting orreconfiguring presently existing optical metrology systems. Forinstance, the present invention may consist of adapting the KLA-TencorArcher 100 or 200 overlay control systems. For example, in the case ofsystem 200, a SLM 206, beam splitter 204, aperture stop 218 and Fourierlenses 218 and 220 may be arranged to process light emanating from anillumination source 202. Further, the illumination source of thepreexisting metrology system (e.g., KLA-Tencor Archer 100 or 200) may beremoved and replaced with an entrance pupil 222 configured to receiveillumination 221 processed by the components described herein. It shouldbe recognized that the present invention is not limited to an adaptationof Archer 100 or 200 systems, but rather the description above should beinterpreted merely as an illustration. It is anticipated that thepresent invention may be extended to a wide variety of microscopy andoverlay metrology systems.

In another aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, thesystem 200 may include one or more computing systems 242 communicativelycoupled to the detector 240 of the metrology tool 224 and configured todetermine one or more overlay characteristics (e.g., overlay error)utilizing the illumination collection data provided by the output of thedetector 240. As such, the one or more computing systems 242 may beconfigured to receive a set of measurements performed by the metrologytool 224 in a sampling process of one or more wafers 230 of a lot. Inthis regard, digitized imagery data may be transmitted from the detector240 to the one or more computing systems 242 via a signal, such as awireline signal (e.g., copper line, fiber optic cable, and the like) ora wireless signal (e.g., wireless RF signal). Upon receiving results ofthe one or more sampling processes from the metrology tool 224, the oneor more computer systems 242 may then calculate one or more overlayvalues associated with the sampled overlay targets via a preprogrammedoverlay determination algorithm (stored as a portion of the programinstructions 246 stored on the carrier medium 244).

In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 2C, the one or morecomputing systems 242 may be communicatively coupled to both thedetector 240 of the metrology system 224 and the SLM 206. In one aspect,the one or more computing systems 242 may be configured to receive aplurality of field images of the sampled overlay targets 229 of thewafer 230 from the detector 240. In a further aspect, each of the fieldimages may be acquired at a different illumination pupil function,wherein each of the illumination pupil functions is establishedutilizing the SLM 206, as described previously herein. In anotheraspect, the one or more computing systems 242 may calculate a contrastlevel for each of the acquired field images utilizing illuminationcollection data received from the detector 240 along with one or morecontrast metrics. The use of contrast metrics to calculate contrast inimages of overlay targets is described generally in Seligson et. al,“Target Noise in Overlay Metrology,” Metrology, Inspection, and ProcessControl for Microlithography XVIII, edited by Richard M. Silver,Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 5375 (2004), which is incorporated herein byreference. In an additional aspect, the one or more computing systems242 may determine an illumination function suitable for producing adesired contrast level (e.g., a contrast level above a selected contrastthreshold or an optimal contrast level of the system/targets) utilizingthe calculated contrast levels for each of the acquired field images. Inresponse to this determination of the suitable illumination function,the one or more computing systems 242 may control the SLM 206 in orderto establish an SLM 206 configuration that produces the suitableillumination function thereby producing an a field image contrast levelat or above the desired contrast level.

In a further embodiment, the metrology tool 224 may be configured toaccept instructions from the one or more computing systems 242 of thesystem 200. Upon receiving instructions from the computing system 242,the metrology tool 224 may perform one or more overlay metrologymeasurements. In this regard, upon achieving the desired contrast levelby controlling the SLM 206 to establish a selected illuminationfunction, the one or more computing systems 242 may direct the metrologytool 224 to carry out one or more metrology measurements. In a furtherembodiment, the metrology tool 224 may perform overlay metrology atvarious locations of the wafer 230 identified in the instructionsprovided by the one or more computing systems 242.

It should be recognized that the various steps described throughout thepresent disclosure may be carried out by a single computer system or,alternatively, a multiple computer system. Moreover, differentsubsystems of the system 200, such as the metrology tool 224, mayinclude a computer system suitable for carrying out at least a portionof the steps described above. Therefore, the above description shouldnot be interpreted as a limitation on the present invention but merelyan illustration. Further, the one or more computing systems 242 may beconfigured to perform any other step(s) of any of the method embodimentsdescribed herein.

In another embodiment, the one or more computing systems 242 may becommunicatively coupled to the detector 240 of the metrology tool 224and/or the SLM 206 in any manner known in the art. For example, the oneor more computing systems 242 may be coupled to a computer system of themetrology tool 224 or to a computer system of a programmable SLM 206. Inanother example, the metrology tool 224 and the SLM 206 may becontrolled by a single computer system. Moreover, the one or morecomputing systems 242 of the system 200 may be configured to receiveand/or acquire data or information from other systems (e.g., inspectionresults from an inspection system, metrology results from an additionalmetrology system, or process tool correctables calculated from a system,such as KLA-Tencor's KT Analyzer) by a transmission medium that mayinclude wireline and/or wireless portions. In this manner, thetransmission medium may serve as a data link between the one or morecomputing systems 242 and other subsystems of the system 200. Moreover,the one or more computing systems 242 may send data to external systemsvia a transmission medium.

The one or more computing systems 242 may include, but are not limitedto, a personal computer system, mainframe computer system, workstation,image computer, parallel processor, or any other device known in theart. In general, the term “computing system” may be broadly defined toencompass any device having one or more processors, which executeinstructions from a memory medium.

Program instructions 246 implementing methods such as those describedherein may be transmitted over or stored on carrier medium 244. Thecarrier medium may be a transmission medium such as a wire, cable, orwireless transmission link. The carrier medium may also include apermanent storage medium such as a read-only memory, a random accessmemory, a magnetic or optical disk, or a magnetic tape.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a preferred embodiment of the present inventionis shown. The applicant notes that unless otherwise noted thedescription relating to the system 200 of FIGS. 2A-2C should beinterpreted to apply to system 400 of FIG. 4. In one aspect, the system400 includes a laser light source 402 configured to generate one or morelaser beams, an integration rod 410 optically coupled to the laser lightsource 402, and a micro mirror array (MMA) chip 406. In a furtheraspect, the system 400 includes a beam splitter 414 configured toreceive illumination from the integration rod 410 and direct theillumination toward the MMA chip 406. It is noted herein that thecomponents described above may act to from a micro mirror imaging device404.

In a further embodiment, the micro mirror imaging device 404 may furtherinclude a steering mirror 412 in order to assist in optically couplingthe output of the integration rod 410 and the MMA chip. In addition themicro mirror imaging device 404 may further include a set of Schlierenoptics 416 positioned between the beam splitter 414 and the MMA chip 406and configured to process the laser illumination transmitted from thelaser source 402 and through the beam splitter 414. Further, the microimaging device 404 may include an exit lens 418.

In another aspect, the system 400 includes a metrology tool 408. As insystem 200, the metrology tool 408 of system 400 includes, but is notlimited to, a detector 434, an objective 426, a beam splitter 424, andimaging optics 430. In one aspect, the micro mirror device 404 and themetrology tool 408 are optically coupled via beam 423, assisted by asteering mirror 420, passing through the entrance pupil 422 of themetrology optics of the metrology tool 408. In a further aspect, themetrology tool 408 includes a removable mirror 432 positioned along animaging path of the metrology tool 408. It is noted herein that theremovable lens 432 may be implemented in order to alternate the detector434 between imaging the one or more samples 428 or targets 429 and apupil of the objective 426. It is further noted herein that the MMA chipis imaged to the objective 426. As such, imaging the objective 426 isequivalent to imaging the MMA chip 406.

The embodiments of systems 200 and 400 illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C,3A-3C, and 4 may be further configured as described herein. In addition,the system 200 may be configured to perform any other step(s) of any ofthe method embodiment(s) described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process flow 500 suitable for implementation bysystems 200 or 400 of the present invention. In one aspect, it isrecognized that data processing steps of the process flow 500 may becarried out via a preprogrammed algorithm executed by one or moreprocessors of the one or more computing systems 242. Step 502 generatesa beam of illumination. For instance, one or more laser sources maygenerate a beam of laser light. Step 504 directs a portion of thegenerated beam onto a surface of a spatial light modulator (SLM). Forexample, the beam splitter 204 of system 200 may act to direct at leastone portion of the illumination beam 210 toward the SLM (e.g.,diffractive-based SLM). Step 506 directs at least a portion of thegenerated beam incident on the surface of the SLM through an aperture ofan aperture stop and onto one or more target structures of one or moresamples. For example, the SLM 206 of system 200 may direct at least aportion of the illumination beam incident on the surface of the SLMthrough the aperture 219 and onto one or more targets 229 of the wafer230. Step 508 generates a selected illumination pupil function of theillumination transmitted through the aperture utilizing the SLM in orderto establish a contrast level of one or more field images of the one ormore target structures above a selected contrast threshold. In thisregard, the SLM 206 and the metrology tool 224 (both controlled by thecomputing system 242) may operate in a feedback mode in order to achievean illumination pupil function suitable for producing a contrast levelof one or more field images acquired using the metrology tool 224 abovea selected contrast level. Alternatively, the SLM 206 and metrology tool224 feedback mode may be utilized to achieve an optimal or near-optimalcontrast level of one or more field images acquired using the metrologytool 224. Step 510 performs one or more metrology measurements on theone or more target structures (e.g., targets 229) utilizing the selectedillumination pupil function. For example, the metrology tool 224 may becontrolled by the one or more computing systems 242 such that uponachieving an optimal or near-optimal contrast level (via the selectedillumination pupil function) the computing system 242 may direct themetrology tool 224 to perform overlay metrology measurements.

In a further embodiment of process 500, a first target structure may bemeasured at a first illumination function, while a second targetstructure is measured at a second illumination function that isdifferent from the first illumination function. In this manner, thefirst illumination function may be matched to the first target structureutilizing the SLM and the second illumination function is matched to thesecond target structure utilizing the SLM. It should be recognized thatthis embodiment may be readily extended to numerous target structuresand should not be interpreted to merely two target structures asdescribed above. In this manner, multiple target sites on a wafer may bemeasured sequentially, or “on the fly,” with each target site beingmeasured utilizing a different illumination pupil function allowing forcontrast optimization for each target.

In a further embodiment, the process 500 may include acquiring a firstfield image of a bottom layer of a target structure, the first imageacquired at a high contrast level relative to a background contrastlevel; acquiring a second field image of a top layer of the targetstructure, the second image acquired at a contrast level above aselected contrast threshold; and generating a metrology measurementimage of the target structure by combining the first field image and thesecond field image utilizing a double grab algorithm. In this manner,the system 200 (or system 400) may employ a “double grab” sequence. Thedouble grab sequence may include acquiring two images of a singleoverlay target whereby a double grab imaging algorithm utilizes theinformation obtained from the two images to provide a combined imagewith an increased level of contrast. For example, the system 200 mayacquire two field images of a target, a first image with the bottomlayer having very high contrast compared to the background and a secondimage with the top layer having its contrast optimized or nearlyoptimized. The system 200 (via computing system 242) may then digitallycombine these images using known double grab algorithms in order toachieve a final image having very high contrast for both layers.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative process flow 600 suitable forimplementation by systems 200 or 400 of the present invention. Step 602generates a beam of illumination. Step 604 directs a portion of thegenerated beam onto a surface of a spatial light modulator. Step 606directs at least a portion of the generated beam incident on the surfaceof the spatial light modulator through an aperture of an aperture stopand onto one or more target structures of one or more samples. Steps602, 604, and 606 are similar in nature to steps 502, 504, and 506 ofprocess 500. Step 608 acquires a plurality of field images of one ormore target structures (e.g., targets 229) of one or more samplesutilizing a detector (e.g., CCD camera of a metrology tool, each fieldimage being acquired at a different predetermined illumination pupilfunction, wherein each of the different illumination pupil functions isachieved utilizing the spatial light modulator (e.g., SLM 206). Forexample, a camera 240 of the metrology tool 224 may capture multiplefield images of one or more targets 229, each field image being capturedat a different illumination pupil function (i.e., illumination pupilconfiguration), the different illumination pupil functions establishedusing the SLM 206 (e.g., diffractive SLM). Step 610 calculates aplurality of contrast levels by determining a contrast level for each ofthe plurality of field images of the one or more target structures. Forexample, the computing system 242 may receive the field images obtainedat different illumination pupil functions from the camera 240. Uponreceiving the digitized imagery data from the detector 240, thecomputing system 242 may then utilize one or more contrast metrics, asdescribed previously herein, to calculate a contrast level for each ofthe acquired field images. Step 612 identifies a measurementillumination pupil function, wherein the measurement illumination pupilfunction corresponds to largest of the plurality of contrast levels. Forexample, the computing system 242 may then analyze and compare the setof calculated contrast levels associated with the multiple acquiredfield images of the targets 229 and identify the “measurementillumination pupil function,” which corresponds to the illuminationpupil function producing the highest contrast among the acquired fieldimages. Step 614 performs one or more metrology measurements utilizingthe identified measurement illumination pupil function. Step 614 isanalogous to step 510 of process 500.

In one embodiment of process 600, the plurality of field images may beacquired over a plurality of focal planes. In another embodiment, theplurality of field images may be acquired over a range of one or morespectral parameters (e.g., wavelength) of the beam of illumination. Inanother embodiment, each of the plurality of field images may beacquired at a different target structure site (e.g., target 229 site) ofthe one or more samples (e.g., wafer 230). In another embodiment, themeasurement illumination pupil function may be achieved by modifying aconfiguration of the SLM as function of wafer location or fieldlocation.

It should further be recognized that the limitations and embodimentsdescribed with respect to process flow 500 should be interpreted toextend to process flow 600 and vice versa. As such, the descriptionabove of process flow 500 and 600 should not be interpreted as alimitation but merely as illustrations.

All of the system and methods described herein may include storingresults of one or more steps of the method embodiments in a storagemedium. The results may include any of the results described herein andmay be stored in any manner known in the art. The storage medium mayinclude any storage medium described herein or any other suitablestorage medium known in the art. After the results have been stored, theresults can be accessed in the storage medium and used by any of themethod or system embodiments described herein, formatted for display toa user, used by another software module, method, or system, etc.Furthermore, the results may be stored “permanently,”“semi-permanently,” temporarily, or for some period of time. Forexample, the storage medium may be random access memory (RAM), and theresults may not necessarily persist indefinitely in the storage medium.

Those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are variousvehicles by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologiesdescribed herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/orfirmware), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context inwhich the processes and/or systems and/or other technologies aredeployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed andaccuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardwareand/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, theimplementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yet againalternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware,software, and/or firmware. Hence, there are several possible vehicles bywhich the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies describedherein may be effected, none of which is inherently superior to theother in that any vehicle to be utilized is a choice dependent upon thecontext in which the vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns(e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any ofwhich may vary. Those skilled in the art will recognize that opticalaspects of implementations will typically employ optically-orientedhardware, software, and/or firmware.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein,and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such describeddevices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at leasta portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can beintegrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount ofexperimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that atypical data processing system generally includes one or more of asystem unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatileand non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digitalsignal processors, computational entities such as operating systems,drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one ormore interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or controlsystems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback forsensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/oradjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processingsystem may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially availablecomponents, such as those typically found in datacomputing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “connected”, or “coupled”, toeach other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two componentscapable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “couplable”,to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples ofcouplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/orphysically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/orwirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/orlogically interactable components.

While particular aspects of the present subject matter described hereinhave been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modificationsmay be made without departing from the subject matter described hereinand its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are toencompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as arewithin the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein.

Although particular embodiments of this invention have been illustrated,it is apparent that various modifications and embodiments of theinvention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure. Accordingly, the scopeof the invention should be limited only by the claims appended hereto.

It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its attendantadvantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it willbe apparent that various changes may be made in the form, constructionand arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosedsubject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages.The form described is merely explanatory, and it is the intention of thefollowing claims to encompass and include such changes.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by theappended claims.

What is claimed:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: an illumination source; aspatial light modulator (SLM); an aperture stop disposed substantiallyat a pupil plane of an illumination path, the aperture stop having anaperture configured to transmit at least a portion of light directedfrom the surface of the SLM to a surface of one or more samples; and ametrology tool configured to measure one or more characteristics of oneor more metrology target structures of the one or more samples, themetrology tool comprising: an entrance pupil configured to receiveillumination directed from the surface of the SLM and transmittedthrough the aperture of the aperture stop; an objective lens configuredto focus at least a portion of the illumination onto one or more targetstructures of the one or more samples; a detector configured to collecta portion of illumination scattered from the one or more targetstructures of the one or more samples, wherein the SLM is configured tocontrol an illumination pupil function of the illumination transmittedthrough the aperture, the illumination pupil function controlled bycontrolling a profile of illumination impinging on the surface of theSLM from the illumination source; and a computing system communicativelycoupled to the detector of the metrology tool and configured todetermine one or more overlay characteristics utilizing collectedillumination data from the detector.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the computing system is further communicatively coupled to theSLM, the computing system configured to: receive a plurality of fieldimages of the one or more target structures from the detector, each ofthe field images acquired at a different illumination pupil function;calculate a contrast level for each of the plurality of field images ofthe one or more target structures utilizing illumination collection datafrom the detector and one or more contrast metrics; determine anillumination function suitable for producing a contrast level above aselect contrast threshold utilizing the calculated contrast levels foreach of the plurality of field images; and control the SLM in responseto the determined illumination pupil function in order to establish anillumination pupil function suitable for producing a contrast levelabove the selected contrast threshold.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the metrology tool is configured to perform one or moremetrology measurements utilizing the determined illumination pupilfunction.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spatial lightmodulator comprises: a diffraction-based spatial light modulator.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator comprises: areflection-based spatial light modulator.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the spatial light modulator comprises: a microelectro-mechanicalsystems (MEMS) spatial light modulator.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the spatial light modulator comprises: a liquid crystal spatiallight modulator.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illuminationsource comprises: one or more lasers.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the one or more samples comprise: one or more semiconductorwafers.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more targetstructures comprise: at least one of one or more box-in-box (BiB)targets or one or more advanced imaging metrology (AIM) targets.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises: at least one of acharge-coupled device (CCD) camera or a time delay integration (TDI)camera.
 12. An apparatus, comprising: a laser light source configured togenerate one or more laser beams; an integration rod optically coupledto an output of the laser source; a micro mirror array (MMA) chip; anoptical element configured to direct a portion of light emanating fromthe integration rod along an optical path towards a surface of the MMAchip; a set of optical relay optics configured to receive the directedportion of light from the optical element and relay the portion of lightto the MMA chip; a metrology tool configured to measure one or morecharacteristics of one or more metrology target structures of one ormore samples, the metrology tool comprising: an entrance pupilconfigured to receive illumination directed from the surface of the MMAchip; an objective lens configured to focus at least a portion of theillumination onto one or more target structures of the one or moresamples; and a detector configured to collect a portion of illuminationscattered from the one or more target structures of the one or moresamples, a removable lens positioned along an imaging path of themetrology tool and configured to alternate the detector between imagingthe one or more samples and a pupil of the objective, the MMA chip beingimaged to the pupil of the objective, wherein the MMA chip is configuredto control a profile of illumination impinging on the surface of the MMAchip from the laser source; and a computing system communicativelycoupled to the detector of the metrology tool and configured todetermine one or more overlay characteristics utilizing collectedillumination data from the detector.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12,wherein the set of optical relay optics comprises: a set of Schlierenoptics.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computing system isfurther communicatively coupled to the MMA chip, the computing systemconfigured to: receive a plurality of field images of the one or moretarget structures from the detector, each of the field images acquiredat a different illumination pupil function; calculate a contrast levelfor each of the plurality of field images of the one or more targetstructures utilizing illumination collection data from the detector andone or more contrast metrics; determine an illumination functionsuitable for producing a contrast level above a selected contrastthreshold utilizing the calculated contrast levels of the plurality offield images; and control the MMA chip in response to the determinedillumination pupil function in order to achieve an illumination pupilfunction suitable for producing a contrast level above the selectedcontrast threshold.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the metrologytool is configured to perform one or more metrology measurementsutilizing the determined illumination pupil function.
 16. The apparatusof claim 12, wherein the one or more samples comprise: one or moresemiconductor wafers.
 17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein thedetector comprises: at least one of a charge-coupled device (CCD) cameraor a time delay integration (TDI) camera.
 18. A method, comprising:generating a beam of illumination; directing a portion of the generatedbeam onto a surface of a spatial light modulator (SLM); directing atleast a portion of the generated beam incident on the surface of the SLMthrough an aperture and onto one or more target structures of one ormore samples; generating one or more selected illumination pupilfunctions of the illumination transmitted through the aperture utilizingthe SLM; and performing one or more metrology measurements on the one ormore target structures utilizing the selected illumination pupilfunction, wherein a first target structure is measured at a firstillumination function and at least a second target structure is measuredat a second illumination function different from the first illuminationfunction, wherein the first illumination function is matched to thefirst target structure utilizing the SLM and the second illuminationfunction is matched to the at least a second target structure utilizingthe SLM.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the spatial light modulatorcomprises: a diffraction-based spatial light modulator.
 20. The methodof claim 18, wherein the performing one or more metrology measurementson the one or more target structures utilizing the selected illuminationpupil comprises: acquiring a first field image of a bottom layer of atarget, the first image acquired at a high contrast level relative to abackground contrast level; acquiring a second field image of a top layerof the target, the second image acquired at a contrast level above aselected contrast threshold; and generating a metrology measurementimage of the target by combining the first field image and the secondfield image.
 21. A method, comprising: generating a beam ofillumination; directing a portion of the generated beam onto a surfaceof a spatial light modulator; directing at least a portion of thegenerated beam incident on the surface of the spatial light modulatorthrough an aperture and onto one or more target structures of one ormore samples; and acquiring a plurality of field images of the one ormore target structures of one or more samples utilizing a detector of ametrology tool, each field image being acquired at a differentpredetermined illumination pupil function, wherein each of the differentillumination pupil functions is achieved utilizing the spatial lightmodulator; identifying a measurement illumination pupil function basedon the plurality of the field images acquired at different illuminationpupil functions; and performing one or more metrology measurementsutilizing the identified measurement illumination pupil function. 22.The method of claim 21, wherein the spatial light modulator comprises: adiffraction-based spatial light modulator.
 23. The method of claim 21,wherein acquiring a plurality of field images of the one or more targetstructures comprises: acquiring a plurality of field images of the oneor more target structures over a plurality of focal planes.
 24. Themethod of claim 21, wherein acquiring a plurality of field images of theone or more target structures comprises: acquiring a plurality of fieldimages of the one or more target structures over a range of one or morespectral parameters of the beam of illumination.
 25. The method of claim21, wherein acquiring a plurality of field images of the one or moretarget structures comprises: acquiring a plurality of field images ofthe one or more target structures at one or more target structure sitesof the one or more specimens.
 26. The method of claim 21, wherein themeasurement illumination pupil function is achieved by modifying aconfiguration of the SLM as function of at least one of wafer locationor field location.